Continued: Minneapolis towing not enforced equally

Analyzing towing data was one of the first intensive statistical studies the Rybak administration performed to help guide policy decisions. Maps from 2003 show few tows south and west of Lake Harriet, with many scattered just east of the lake — where there were none during the Jan. 30 snow emergency.

“If you looked at 10 snow emergencies … I think you’d see red dots kind of moving around the map. And you would have seen them every so often up until this last contract,” Kennedy said. City records show that the city entered into a contract with Rapid Recovery and four other contractors in 2008.

The lack of towing has become noticeable to some who live in that area. “I fully agree that our streets are a mess,” said Ruth Olson, who works for several neighborhoods in the southwest area. “They’re not towing anyone, and so the plows come down and they have to plow around them.”

About 27 of the towed cars belonged to Car2Go, a car sharing service that allows customers to leave its vehicles in any legal city parking spot. The most common cars towed were Chevrolets (149), followed by Fords (146), Toyotas (137) and Hondas (122).